Feb. 5, 2010

Avatar (in IMAX 3D) was very entertaining! Here are two observations I walked away with. Skip #2 if you haven't seen it yet (spoiler alert?):

ONE. Even though the movie has been out for about two months, the theatre was packed. We were unprepared for this and ended up with crusty seats by the front. This frustrating and disappointing event resulted in the dogre and I turning on each other. He was certain that we could find better seats and I had already resigned myself to our current ones. We were mildly hostile towards each other and our sour moods would have lasted a while had we not discovered that others were in a similar situation. Other late comers were rolling their eyes, attitude-y, physically distancing themselves from their companions, and apparently also blaming one another for their misfortune. Ha! Suckers! Lesson not learned, obviously, as we eagerly soaked up the scene and chuckled together. Maybe cackled? Insert evil cackle here.

TWO. I love animals. I love animals but get the heebie-jeebies over insects, reptiles, and fish. The creatures in Avatar were hideous and shrieky. But, that didn't stop me from growing an attachment to them. My stomach twisted and turned at the creature casualties. Oh, poor viperwolves, hammerhead titanotheres, mountain banshees, thanators, and direhorsies (I'm not a nerd—it's called research! I wiki'ed it. Oh, wait...). I also fretted over what the abandoned banshee would do, now that Sully had traded up for that fancy toruk. Could Neytiri create a bond with it, since hers had died? I understood that Na'vis and banshees only made one connection in a lifetime or some crap, but couldn't they make an exception? I hope there were others who shared my worries. Otherwise, I'd feel pretty embarrassed right about now... Heh..hehe...

A IS FOR . . .:

Our night ended with another unexpected and unhappy event. We were trying to exit the underground parking lot but our ticket wasn't scanning and we were stuck. The dogre buzzed for help and after quite a bit of wait, the attendant strolled over. What a jerk! Here's a snippet of the conversation:

A(for attendant or ass): It's not working?

D(for dogre and love of this dogre's life): Yeah, I think it's the ticket, it's folded.

A: Oh really, how'd you figure that one out? (sarcastically)

D: Are you being rude with me? (assertively)

A: No, sir. Just wanting to serve you. Have a great night, sir. And ma'am, you too. (politely—fake!)

ONE. The exchange reminded me why the dogre is great at his profession. See, the dogre is a cop, and in such a role, you deal with a lot of abrasive personalities. Being level headed and keeping your cool at all times is very important. Someone else in the exact same situation might have snapped and escalated the situation. To be honest, I used to think this was a flaw—that he was too passive or a sissy. Now I appreciate this desirable quality in him, as it shows his maturity. Smart, sensible boy, he is! (This display of praise and affection for the dogre was, is, and will continue to be rare here!)

TWO. I'm not as patient as the dogre. I would have been very mad and visibly agitated. I would have taken it personally and fussed over it.

THREE. If this problem is so common that you (stupid parking lot company) feel the need to post signs up telling customers to "straighten out" their tickets when they won't scan, then maybe it's time you set up a better freakin' system! (See, I'm still worked up over it, even though I was just a bystander. Sort of.)

FOUR. I'm glad that the dogre didn't escalate because I become super distraught when I witness altercations and raised voices. Something to do with my childhood experiences.

FIVE. You're a SUN-A-BITS, you jerk of an attendant!

PEDDLING AWAY INTO SUNSHINE AND LOLLIPOPS (NO, MAKE IT COTTON CANDY):

I'm aware that the image in this post is unrelated to the content. I selected it purely because it makes me happy (or envious?). It's like, let's forget about the rude attendant and ugly weather outside and just stare at this carefree girl, with her wispy hair, matching red tuque and socks, and cute yellow sneakers! Really—click to enlarge and wish you could be her for a moment. It makes me want to be all healthy and athletic. Almost. As for yoga, it's been...more than two months and we somehow have not attended a single class! For shame.